The absolute BEST Vegan Queso made with cashews, non-dairy yogurt, salsa, green chiles, tomatoes and zero nutritional yeast! This queso is dairy-free, oil-free and delicious! EVEN READERS AGREE it is the best!
BEST VEGAN QUESO
I’m here to show you how to make the Best Vegan Queso ever today! This cheese recipe is a variation of my cheese sauce from my Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake. I’ve had probably hundreds tell me it is the “best I’ve ever had since going vegan”, so I only named it that because I and you all seem to feel that way, k? But guess what, it is even better because I adapted it to be queso now.
In all seriousness, it really is the best vegan queso cheese recipe. It is so good that it went over as a big hit with all of my non-vegan guests at my Christmas party. I even had a couple of them say “I’d eat this over regular queso any day”…especially when you look at how much more healthy my version is, yet so rich and decadent. I love wowing non-vegans with dairy-free recipes, which you can see in my 20 Healthy Vegan Recipes to Wow Non-Vegans!
If you are allergic to cashews, check out my nut-free queso here!
Pictured with my oil-free chips. See directions below how to make. I originally shared how to make these in my Mexican Bowls post, but have added brushed lemon juice this time. Yum. Learn why I like to be oil-free as much as possible on my How to Cook and Bake Without Oil post.
MAKE VEGAN CHEESE WITHOUT NUTRITIONAL YEAST
Unlike most vegan cheese recipes you will find, this Best Vegan Queso is made with NO nutritional yeast and yet it is insanely cheesy and full of flavor. The salsa, vinegar and yogurt all give this dairy-free queso dip all of it’s cheesy flavor and tang.
VEGAN QUESO INGREDIENTS
First, you will gather these 8 ingredients (+salt):
- Cashews: make it extra rich, creamy and thick just like dairy cheese.
- Salsa: gives the cheese a depth of flavor, as well as tang, which is needed for a cheesy taste.
- Non-dairy yogurt: makes this taste extra tangy, extra cheesy and creamy. I use the So Delicious coconut plain.
- Distilled white vinegar: another super acidic note to give extra oomph of flavor that just screams cheesy.
- Smoked paprika: gives a wonderful smoky undertone to the cheese.
- Ground cumin: gives more depth of flavor and aids to the authentic queso flavor.
- Green chiles: these add both flavor and texture, reminiscent of classic queso.
- Tomatoes: adds texture and classic in queso.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN QUESO
Step 1: First, add all of the ingredients (except the chiles and tomatoes) to a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix. If using the soaked cashews, then a food processor tends to work better to smooth out sauces, versus a blender that is not very powerful. Blend a couple of minutes until 100% smooth and creamy.
Step 2: After blending, stir in the green chiles and tomatoes, but do not blend. I used the whole can of chiles but you can use less if you prefer.
Step 3: Add the sauce to a pot and heat it over medium-low just for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until it slightly thickens. Be careful about overheating it or it will make it chunky.
Step 4: Top with sliced jalapenos or cilantro if desired and serve right away.
FREEZING TIPS
While I have not tried freezing this personally, I think it would be just fine. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it on a very low heat over the stove, whisking constantly to prevent sticking. Do not heat it in the microwave, as I do not think it would reheat as well.
OTHER VEGAN CHEESE RECIPES TO TRY
- Vegan Ricotta Cheese
- Vegan Pimento Cheese
- 5 Ingredient Strawberry Cream Cheese
- Vegan Baked Herbed Cashew Cheese
- Vegan Baked Smoky Cashew Cheese
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If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Best Vegan Queso
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150g) raw unsalted cashews* (see NOTES at bottom regarding sub)
- 1 cup (240g) medium heat runny/not too chunky salsa (I used Pace Picante)
- 3/4 cup (180g) PLAIN dairy-free yogurt (I used SO Delicious "Unsweetened" Plain coconut yogurt but Soy will work too, but it's slightly sweeter)
- 1 tablespoon (15g) white distilled vinegar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz can diced green chiles (use half or the whole can)
- 1/4-1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- Optional: sliced jalapenos and cilantro
NOTE
- If you do not have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, then you will need to soak your cashews overnight in a bowl of water, drain, rinse and proceed. Otherwise, the cheese will be gritty. OR, you can sub the cashews with equal gram amount (150g) RAW oil-free cashew butter.
NOTE
- Using a medium heat salsa here will give a nice kick of spiciness. If you are serving this to kids or prefer mild, then sub with a mild salsa.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- If wanting to make my oil-free chips, make those first. See the bottom of the directions.
- Add all of the ingredients (except the chiles and tomatoes) to a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix. If using the soaked cashews, then a food processor tends to work better to smooth out sauces, versus a blender that is not very powerful. Blend a couple of minutes until 100% smooth. After blending, stir in the green chiles and tomatoes, but do not blend. I used the whole can of chiles but you can use less if you prefer.
- Add the sauce to a pot and heat it over medium-low just for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until it slightly thickens. Be careful about overheating it or it will make it chunky.
- Top with sliced jalapenos or cilantro if desired and serve right away. It will get a bit thicker as it sits and overnight in the fridge, so just give it a good stir.
- This sauce is excellent as a dip at a party or over burritos or nachos!
Oil-free Chips: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Cut your tortillas into 4ths. Spread them out evenly and brush lightly with lemon juice and season with salt. Bake for 8-10 mins or until they are getting crisp. Watch closely towards the end so they don't burn. Let them cool and crisp up.
Notes
- CASHEWS SUB: I always get asked about subbing cashews from people who are low-fat or avoid fat. I am not fat-free or nut-free so I use nuts in my recipes because I want them to taste just as rich and creamy as the original dairy versions, so that is why fat is needed.
However, if you want a lower fat version, you can sub up to 1/2 cup of the cashews with white beans. That will really reduce the amount of fat, but ONLY do this if you don't want the best version to serve and wow guests, as it will NOT be as rich, creamy or thick or taste the best. - NUT-FREE: If you are allergic to cashews, check out my nut-free queso here!
- FREEZING TIPS: While I have not tried freezing this personally, I think it would be just fine. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it on a very low heat over the stove, whisking constantly to prevent sticking. Do not heat it in the microwave, as I do not think it would reheat as well.
Nutrition
This IS the BEST! My husband I love this sooooooo much we make a batch or 2 every week. It is a staple in our fridge. Seriously we put it on many things – not just Mexican!
I can’t thank you enough for this yummy.
Everybody needs to try it.
Drool Worthy!!!! I just made this to go with our nachos for dinner tonight, but we ate the dip instead. I subbed hummus for the yogurt because I did not have unsweetened. I also subbed apple cider vinegar for the white. Holy Moly is this delicious.
Yay! Wonderful to hear Marcy!!
Looks promising!…What can I substitute for the canned green chile? We just don’t have that in our area! Can I use fresh shishito peppers and how much? Tia!
You can just leave them out-it’s still delicious! Or add another pepper you like!
Promising…. if canned green chiles are unavailable, what can I sub it with and how much?
Is it possible to sub smoked paprika with liquid smoke and if so, how much?
Made this without the chiles but tasted awesome nonetheless and will be making this again soon.
Just wanted to say I appreciate and luv the following features of your recipes that I think sets it above many others out there:
1) precise measurements (when possible) of actual weight. Other recipes elsewhere just state “two medium potatoes, etc”. This saves beginners like myself from needing to Google how heavy or the actual size is of a “medium potato” which are hard to measure by dimension since they have different shapes.
2) precise cooking times (when possible) and if cooking time varies, what basis the variations are on such as the ingredient’s color we should be looking for or doneness (i.e “onion should be transparent” or “potato should be fork tender but not mushy”, etc.
3) the order the ingredients are listed are the same order they are added during cooking. This makes it easy to group them together when appropriate in one container so there’s less dish-washing in the end.
4) precise cutting sizes stated. To say “cut the potatoes in 1/4″ cubes” is so much useful than saying “cut the potatoes into cubes” especially when the flavor and cooking requirements are affected by size
5) substitutes or specifically stating what CANNOT BE SUBSTITUTED. So useful.
6) photos of what the end product looks like!
7) no oil necessary!!
8) no mile-long list of ingredients
KEEP IT IP!!!
We have made this recipe more times that I can count. So versatile, delicious, and ACTUALLY EASY. Its a rare thing to find a delicious easy vegan recipe and this one is just that.
If I want to use fresh grilled chilies what kind specifically should I be using? What can i use instead of white vinegar? Apple cider? White wine vinegar? Lemon juice?
Unbelievable!! I have tried countless vegan and diary queso recipes. But this one is TOP…… and so light and healthy. I used tahini because I didn’t have cashews… and it was still AWESOME. even got my picky teen to eat it.
Aww yay, makes me happy to hear, thank you Nina!
Delicious! I made this to take to a potluck at my office. My co-workers loved it and my bowl was empty in no time at all.
SO happy to hear that BJ!
We loved thIs queso!!! We are planning to bring it to a party and not tell that it’s vegan. We don’t think anyone will know!
This queso is freaking delicious. Do you think it would be okay heated in a crockpot? They like to do a lot of potlucks at work and there’s never anything I can eat.
Awesome! I have never tried that so I’m not sure. Possibly. Only thing is with cashew cheese it thickens a lot while heating so it might get overly thick unless you can keep it on really low heat.
I’ve made many vegan versions of queso and this one definitely takes the cake! Super addictive. Bonus, my partner who usually doesn’t care for cashew based sauces couldn’t stop raving about it.
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏.i made it last night 😋. Thank you for your effort 🌹🌞😎
I just made these for a Super Bowl party for nachos, and they were DEVOURED in a matter of minutes. People kept asking me for the recipe and were shocked that it was vegan.
Hands down the best sauce ever! Only complaint, is the fact that I didn’t make more lol.
I keep trying all kinds of different cheeses and this one hits the spot. Oh my goodness thank you so much for this recipe. It saved my burritos.
Yay!
We have been looking for a vegan queso dip recipe for a long time and nothing have hit the mark like this recipe. It is amazing!!!
Thank you, Brandi!!!
Do the tomatoes have to be drained or not? Im so confused.
Hi – while you are waiting for Brandi to reply, I’ll put my 2 cents in…
If you are referring to the 1/4-1/2 c tomatoes listed at the end, I would say no – no draining is needed. Since these are expected to be fresh tomatoes there would be no reason to drain them (although I’m sure you could use canned if that’s all you had – then yes, I personally would drain them).
If you are referring to the tomato salsa, you could start by draining it through a sieve into a bowl, saving the juice in case you wanted to add some back into the queso to thin it out.
Hope that helps.
No, it’s just a fresh tomato you are chopping. Don’t drain the salsa, just use straight from a jar. It is all that flavor and liquid that contributes to the queso flavor and texture.